Jon Haarlow - Vice President and Director of Athletics - Staff Directory

Staff Directory

Jon Haarlow

Title:
Vice President and Director of Athletics
Email:
Phone:
509-335-0200

Jon Haarlow was named WSU vice president and director of athletics on April 7. 2026, after serving in the interim role since November 2025. He becomes the 16th individual to lead Cougar athletics in school history.

Haarlow has more than five years of experience at Washington State University and 15 years in collegiate athletics. He joined WSU in 2021 as senior associate athletic director and chief financial officer for WSU Athletics. In spring 2022, he accepted a role with the university’s main campus as assistant vice president for business and financial services, where he provided financial leadership for the university system in areas including debt, cash, and investments while collaborating with key institutional units, including accounting, reporting, payroll, student accounts, and contracting services.

In July, 2024, Haarlow returned to Cougar Athletics as assistant vice president and senior deputy athletic director/chief operating officer for WSU Athletics. His deep knowledge of the WSU campus, expertise in revenue generation, and strong relationships with campus partners and external stakeholders have contributed to his immediate impact throughout campus and the continued success of the Cougars’ 17 varsity athletic programs.

Since assuming the role as Washington State University’s Interim Director of Athletics this past November, Haarlow has:

Led department-wide strategic initiatives, driving operational momentum and cross-campus alignment
Directed the successful hiring of Head Football Coach Kirby Moore and Head Soccer Coach Chris Citowicki, strengthening leadership across marquee and growth programs
Spearheaded and supported fundraising efforts that generated more than $10 million for the Football Fan Experience Project
Launched a $3.4 million renovation of the Cougar Football locker room, to be completed in the summer of 2026
Instituted brand awareness programs that generated revenue through apparel and spirit partnerships
Continued to advance Washington State Athletics’ positioning for the new era of the Pac-12 Conference by collaborating with conference and institutional leaders to support long-term stability and sustainability

Before his tenure at WSU, Haarlow spent three years at Lamar University, serving as senior associate athletics director and chief operating officer after initially joining as associate athletic director and chief financial officer. In these roles, he oversaw day-to-day operations, including finance, facilities, ticketing, contracts, licensing, capital projects, branding, procurement, and strategic planning, while directing overall financial planning and numerous facility projects.

Earlier in his career, Haarlow served at Abilene Christian University as assistant athletic director for internal operations and later as the manager of financial planning and budgeting, where he managed a $130 million operating budget and $100M worth of capital projects, including a football stadium and state of the art science center. He began his athletics administration career at the University of New Mexico, serving for more than six years as a program specialist and assistant event manager for athletics.

Haarlow holds a master’s degree in sport administration from the University of New Mexico and a bachelor’s degree in sport marketing and management from Indiana University in Bloomington. He and his wife, Jessica, have two children, Gage and Jersey.